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Health boards' financial targets

The Welsh Government says organisations running the NHS in Wales have met this year's financial targets. It had been predicted the boards would still face a shortfall despite a £145m 'final' bailout from the Welsh Government last October.

Welsh Government says health boards have met financial targets

According to the Welsh Government, the organisations running the NHS in Wales have met their financial targets for 2011/12. It had been predicted that local health boards were facing a shortfall of up to £50m despite a £145m bailout given to them last October.

The Welsh Government now says they'll break even but has confirmed that three boards have still needed to bring forward some of next year's budget in order to balance the books. Aneurin Bevan, Cwm Taf and Powys will be allowed to spend around £12m from 2012/13. Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said,

Last October, I said NHS managers will be held to account for the financial management of their organisations – with strong action taken if financial targets were not achieved.

To end the dependency on year-end financial support, the Welsh Government provided the NHS with an additional £145million in October, with a warning that there would be no further support in the financial year.

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But she said allowing three boards (Aneurin Bevan to spend some of next year's budget didn't amount to further support.

This was never going to be an easy task, and three of the seven Local Health Boards have been permitted to bring forward a small percentage of next year’s funding to help meet their targets. The amount brought forward represents only 0.2 per cent of the NHS budget, which I am pleased to say has broken even in 2011-12.

“As a condition of this flexibility, my officials have commissioned an external financial review of these organisations’ financial plans.